Populus alba L.
Eng.: Abele, silver poplar, silverleaf poplar, white poplar. Spa.: Álamo, álamo blanco, chopo blanco. Fre.: Peuplier blanc. Ara.: Hafçacet, safsaf el abiod, asefsaf, amellal. Tam.: Tinemlet.
Deciduous tree, dioecious, up to 30 m in height, irregular in size. Trunk ± straight, smooth and thick (up to 2.5 m in diameter in some specimens). Bark grey-whitish to white, slightly fissured except in older specimens, in which it thickens and develops deep cracks, at least at the base or bottom half. Branches densely covered in felted hairs. Buds with 5-6 scales, slightly or not at all viscous, tomentose at first turning glabrescent later. Leaves (1,5)4-12 × (1)3-10 cm, alternate, subequal, suborbicular to elliptic, ± palmate, entire at the base and shallow or deeply lobed-dentate on the upper half, glabrescent, dark green on the upper side and whitish-tomentose on the underside; with a long petiole. Inflorescences in cylindrical pendant aments 5-15 × 1.5-2 cm, male aments very hairy while female aments only slightly hairy. Flowers with persistent nectariferous disk, male flowers with 3-10 stamens with white filaments and purple anthers at first, then yellow; female flowers with an ovoid-conical ovary and 2 greenish-yellow stigmas. Fruit a small oblong-conical capsule about 4 mm, dehiscent into 2 valves that release numerous seeds with long cottony whitish hairs. 2n = 38.
Flowering:
January to May.
Fruiting:
March to June.
Habitat:
Banks of river, streams, lakes and other wetlands, from near sea level to about 2,400 m. In thermomediterranean to supramediterranean floors.
Distribution:
Mediterranean region, central Europe and central Asia. In North Africa this species is frequently distributed in permanent or semipermanent wetlands across of almost the entire non-Saharan Mediterranean area.
Observations:
Polymorphous species of which a number of varieties of dubious taxonomic status have been described; there are also numerous cultivated varieties.
Conservation status:
Relatively common and widespread species. It is not considered threatened. Currently, it has not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.